Trial of Stone (Heirs of Destiny #1)

It is perhaps inevitable that looking at the golden spires and magnificent edifices of Shalandra that the reader’s mind will turn towards the legends of the lost City of Gold, Cibola. But Shalandra is not a fable, nor made of gold. Instead, it is a city dedicated to the god if death. It enforces a rigid system of oppressive castes and in which lives can literally be ended on a whim.
Yet this is home to an indomitable feisty Blade wannabe, Issa, a remarkable character that tugs on your heart strings.
And there is the very able Aisha, a warrior woman bearing a secret burden that weighs her down.
Kodyn is an equally impressive fighter, with roots in the Night Guild. Tevren, again, is an accomplished thief on a mission of his own.
These are, for now, the main characters all in missions of their own in Shalandra.
Shalandra is, however, allso on the cusp of revolution, though few knows. And in this cauldron of mischief and corruption something has to give. And it is an open question as to what as these protagonists have to wrestle with inner misgivings as well as the harsh realities of Shalandra.
This epic fantasy of Andy Peliquin is convoluted and full of twists and nasty surprises and will keep the reader happily immersed in the story for hours on end.
It is indeed quite a long tome, yet you end up in being surprised it ended so quickly. Enjoy.

Three stories intertwined in Trial of Stone!

Peloquin is back with a new story set in his universe that the Hunter and the Night Guild fill. Kodyn and Aisha, members of the Night Guild, are traveling to the City of Shalandra, escorting Briana back to her father after her kidnapping. They also have another goal: to steal the Crown of Pharus.

To achieve full membership in the Night Guild, Kodyn has to prove his worth. He has a bold idea to use his connection with Briana to get his hands on the most valuable jewels of the Shalandrans. Not only will he have to figure out how to steal the crown, but hell have to protect Briana from the Gathers, the cult that kidnapped her in the first place.

Meanwhile, Evren, the young thief who helped the Hunter, has been hired by the Beggar Priests to recover a deadly artifact from the hands of the Shalandrans. The church believes that their treasured Blade of Hallor is a deadly weapon similar to the Hunters. The church needs it stolen before a prophecy is fulfilled.

Unbeknownst to Evren and his escort, the young lad Hailen has stolen away with them. The ward of the Hunter has powers in his blood. The power of the long-dead Serenii flow through his veins. Evren will have to keep him safe while figuring out how to get his hands on the Blades.

Lastly, Issa, a poor citizen of Shalandra, has snuck into the proving fight to become a Blade of the Long Keeper, a deadly order of warriors devoted to protecting the city. They are sworn to the God of Death, drawing power. If she can survive her trial, then she will earn her position even with her low rank in the city.

Shes up against a horde of youths who all want the same thing. Shell have to fight with not just her limbs, but with her brain. Quick wits will see her threw as much as strong arms. Will she make it?

These three stories swirl around in this fast-paced, fantasy novel. Andy Peloquin is building on the work of his last two series to have a new series. His world is large enough to hold all manner of interesting stories, and book one is off to a great start.

The story flows fast. The characters are fun. Each plot line has its own goals that, on the surface, seem to have nothing to do with each other. Peloquin guides his story well. Character decisions flow organically, and only a few coincidences get the plot going.

Its a great, fun story that fantasy fans of all ages can read. No need to have enjoyed his earlier works, though, of course, they will only add color to this exciting tale! If youre a fan of good fantasy, then check out Peloquin’s work!

This book actually reminded me a lot of Sabaa Tahir’s EMBER IN THE ASHES, except that I liked it a lot better. Sure, compared to that book it’s lighter on romance, ethical quandaries and lyrical prose. Meanwhile, the similarities are distinct but not copycat: we have an oppressive empire based on real history (Egypt instead of Rome), a young hero trying to survive a brutal induction into the autocrat’s elite guard corps, other protagonists from the underbelly of a rigid caste system trying hard to pursue their own goals and, along the way, justice. But this book gets higher marks from me for its more detailed and convincing worldbuilding, its breathless action (though the violence is definitely on the hard end of a PG-13 rating), and the fact that despite being convincingly gritty it manages that without constant rape threats :-/

Some wonderful world building and some interesting characters make up this first book in a brand new series. I really enjoyed the story and look forward to picking up book two. I would recommend this to those who enjoy young adult adventurous fantasy.

Trial of Stone is the first book in the Heirs of Destiny series.

Final Rating: 5 stars

Reading like a youthful mlange of Gemmell and Gormenghast, Peloquin’s tale follows a group of desperate, devious and deadly young heroes as they embark on a perilous adventure. The city of Shalandra looms over them, an all-encompassing architectural allegory, while sharp steel flashes in the shadows. This fantasy story is all whispered secrets and furtive rendezvous within a skillfully-realized realm.

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